Lithuania was once part of the Russian empire, but  after World War II, Lithuania was forcibly incorporated into the Soviet Union.

The fear of Russian aggression now drives Lithuanian diplomacy and military planning, which is based on a belief that Lithuania’s population of 2.8 million would be annihilated in a war. Therefore, Lithuania’s strategy is to deter Russia via a strong NATO and, if that is unsuccessful, fight with forces that are not a tripwire but sufficient for a forward defense. Lithuanian society understands this and therefore accepts conscription reforms.

Hungary is an outlier to the West’s response to Russian aggression in Ukraine. While Hungary has agreed on most EU sanctions against Russia, it has done little to diversify its energy dependence on Moscow or support Ukraine. In December 2022, Hungary initially blocked an 18 billion euro ($19 billion) EU financial package for Ukraine and in June 2023, voted against funds for the European Union’s long-term commitment to bolster Ukrainian security.

After the Russo-Turkish War of 1828–1829, Russia formally incorporated Moldova into its empire. Moldova’s heritage as an appendage of the Ottoman, Russian, and Soviet empires and two decades as part of Romania, coupled with a heterogenous population that is mostly Orthodox in faith but not Slavic in ethnicity, are key ingredients of its current political identity crisis. A central question for Moldova is whether to remain neutral but Russian-leaning, or embark upon a journey westward to enter the European Union and possibly NATO.

Russia’s political warfare strategy is to remove Western influence and reestablish Moscow’s hegemony in the Caucasus and Eastern Europe. It’s attempting to do so by exploiting peoples’ fears that their identity and welfare are threatened. Key identity issues are minority group grievances, and religious and cultural values. Welfare issues are based on economic needs or threats to those needs. These fears are turned into narratives to convince people that the West is the source of their problems and that Russia and pro-Russian governments are the solution.

Georgia

1. Japan: 255%
2. Greece: 168%
3. Singapore: 168%
4. Italy: 144%
5. USA: 123%
6. France: 110%
7. Portugal: 108%
8. Spain: 107%
9. Canada: 106%
10. Belgium: 106%
11. United Kingdom: 104%
12. Cyprus: 79%
13. Austria: 75%
14. Finland: 74%
15. Slovenia: 89%
16. Germany: 66%
17. Croatia: 64%
18. Iceland: 61%
19. Israel: 58%
20. Slovakia: 57%

Billions of Euros

Gross Debt

The Climate Change Performance Index monitors climate mitigation progress of 63 countries and the European Union, together responsible for more than 90% of global emissions. The race against time continues: global emissions must nearly halve by 2030, and reducing the use of fossil fuels should account for most of that.

Ranking

Source: ISW Institute for the Study of War December 22, 2023

Based on Nationality

​Angola

1. Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, African Union Commission, Known for: Climate-proofing African agriculture

Argentina

1. Sergio Bergman, Former Environment Minister, Argentina, Known for : Including faith-based communities in environmental legislation

Australia

Known immobilized assets belonging to Russia’s central bank over €1bn (€bn)

1. Total G7, EU and Australia: € 260 bn
2. Total in EU: € 210 bn (includes cash and government bonds denominated in euro, dollar and other currencies)
3. Belgium: € 191 bn held at Euroclear central securities depository)
4. France: € 19bn
5. Switzerland: € 7.8 bn
6. U.S. € 4.6 bn

Legal grounds for seizing assets